


Murphy's Law

by CountessMillarca



Series: Turning Over a New Leaf [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Complete, Drama, F/M, Humor, Mild Sexual Content, Post-War, Romance, Spin-Off
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-06
Updated: 2014-07-29
Packaged: 2018-01-18 09:18:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1422793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CountessMillarca/pseuds/CountessMillarca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sakura had never thought she would come to fancy her former sensei - and lady luck was never on her side. Spin-off to Overlie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Heart Wants...

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I promised my beta I'd write a KakaSaku spin-off for Overlie, so here we are. If you haven't read that fic, you're not missing much, but it might clear some things up. As always, I don't have a set word count, and this is more like a prologue. Chapters will vary between 500-3000 words, and updates will be sporadic. Onwards!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. All rights belong to Masashi, Kishimoto.

Haruno Sakura was a practical person. As such, she preferred order, labels, lists, whether in regards to medical supplies, people, or even emotions. Compartmentalizing _everything_ saved her sanity, even if others claimed it bordered on psychotic. They were wrong. Psychotic happened when she was forced to reevaluate her views because _something_ no longer fit in one of those little boxes she had – oh so carefully - created in her mind. That something had a name, a voice that made respiration truly a labor, and was the definition of eccentric. Hatake Kakashi, previously labeled as teacher, team leader, someone between a friend and an acquaintance, no longer fell under those categories – or so Sakura's mind insisted. Correction, not her mind; her mind was a very sensible organ, capable of making rational decisions. Her heart, though, that blasted, traitorous thing, was another matter.

Sakura wasn't even aware of when she had stopped addressing him as 'sensei' and had started calling him 'Kakashi'. Of course, technically, he wasn't her sensei anymore, so she had every right to discard the title, but it was more than merely that. Calling him by name gave another hue to their relationship, implied intimacy of another kind, at least on her part. In Sakura's perception, he was now a _man_ , not an aggravating, excuse-filled voice box. If things with Sasuke had worked out, as they were supposed to, according to that little box in her mind, she may have never made that connection. But they _hadn't_. She was single, had wasted almost a decade longing for a juvenile dream, yet her most prominent problem wasn't the ruined mess of her life but why Kakashi was _not_ what she previously thought him to be.

He was supposed to be her mentor, the person she relied on, someone she should strive to be once she grew up. Well, she had grown up, and her aspiration wasn't to be _like_ him, but to be _with_ him. Of all the people in the five nations, Sakura just had to fall for the one man who never showed any interest in the opposite sex, and if by some miracle he did, it would certainly not be her. Kakashi had seen her at her worst - pining over Sasuke, chasing after him, crying over him, only for her to be the one who ended their relationship. By all rights, he must think her mad by now; Sakura wouldn't even blame him if he did. If, by some off chance he didn't, she only need tell him that she wanted him, and he surely would. Why she even wanted him was another question Sakura had asked herself many, many times. The conclusion she had reached was, astoundingly, simple. Kakashi was there, had _always_ been there. Conversely, seeing her at her worst had made her see him at his best – and she liked that more than it was prudent. In few words, as Ino would so eloquently put it, Sakura was – well and thoroughly - screwed.


	2. Three Little Words

Naruto was going over a complaint from one of their clients, regarding Kiba, some daimyō's daughter, and an affair of licentious nature, when someone knocked on his door, worsening his headache.

"Enter," he called, pinching the bridge of his nose. Four shinobi walked in, one of which happened to be the current source of his troubles.

Ignoring that for the moment, he plastered a smile - he was surely not feeling - on his face, and addressed them.

"Oh good, you're here. I've got a mission for you."

Normally, this shouldn't have come as a surprise, but the four individuals standing before him had never been chosen for a team mission before. Hence, a variety of expressions greeted his declaration. Kiba stared at him, perplexed, scratching his ear on instinct. Ino's mouth dropped as she eyed the Inuzuka male with a curious glint in her eyes. Kakashi, well, he could have frowned, but Naruto couldn't really tell with his mask and all. And Sakura…Sakura was wearing the most peculiar expression of them all. She looked at him with something akin to panic all over her delicate features, almost pleading with him to take back what he had just said. Nevertheless, Naruto continued, unperturbed, not in the mood to get into this after the mentally trying events of his day.

"You all know our relations with Kumogakure have been on good terms after the war ended. Raikage sent me a request, asking for skilled medics, mostly for training their own shinobi. Of course, this will be treated as a mission, and the pay is substantial. He was highly impressed by Sakura-chan during the war, and made a rather bold demand that she be included in the team."

A few soft gasps came from the kunoichi at this before all quieted down, and Sakura was the first to speak.

"I understand why Ino and I would be chosen, but why Kakashi and Kiba?" she muttered, making her displeasure known for her chosen partners besides Ino.

If Naruto was surprised by her lack of subtlety and aversion to work with at least Kakashi, it didn't show – but he was.

"I said we're on good relations, Sakura-chan, but a little vigilance wouldn't hurt. Kakashi-sensei is the most proficient on lightning-based jutsu and has experience dealing with their ilk. Kiba is…well, the only one available at the moment," he explained, rubbing his tired lids on impulse. An angry bellow rang in their midst as Kiba vocalized his presence.

"Did you just call me an extra?"

Kakashi was the only one who took the news without the barest reaction, aloofness radiating off of him in thick waves, as always.

"Who's the team leader then?" the Copy nin asked, ignoring Kiba's outburst.

"Sakura-chan is in charge regarding all things medical, but you're the de facto leader of this team, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto stated in a tone that defied dispute.

"Understood." Kakashi was the one who spoke, but all nodded their agreement, if grudgingly in the women's case.

"So, basically, they'll be our bodyguards in case things go south or something threatens us?" Ino asked for clarification, glaring at Kiba from the corner of her eye.

"Pretty much, yeah," Naruto confirmed, and Kiba smirked at her with smugness. Her lips curled in distaste, and she huffed, but made no other comment.

"How long will this take?" Sakura cut in, somber, almost determined. Naruto didn't have the slightest idea for what reason she needed to steel herself for this, but decided to file away the question for a later, private discussion between them.

"That's up to you and Ino, Sakura-chan. When you feel that you've accomplished your mission, come back. Sooner rather than later, if you please…"

It was evident in his nuance that he worried for her, and Sakura graced him with the first true smile that had touched her lips since entering his office. Then she turned to leave, the rest of her makeshift team following closely behind her.

"And Kiba –" Naruto raised his voice, stopping the Inuzuka shinobi in his tracks.

"If I receive one word of you hounding women while on this mission, I'll let Ibiki have your furry ass…" he warned, his voice carrying an unyielding timbre.

"I didn't chas-" Kiba began to complain, but Naruto waved a hand in dismissal, more irritated than anything at this point.

"Not a word, Kiba."

* * *

Kiba stalked off, fuming and cursing under his breath once they were outside the Hokage's office, leaving the three shinobi to sort out the details of their mission, and Ino chuckled, half amused, half annoyed.

"How long will it take for you two to get ready?" Kakashi addressed more Sakura than Ino.

Sakura's brows creased in contemplation before she answered. "We need to come up with a curriculum, construct a syllabus, gather supplies, teaching materials and the like. I won't bore you with the details, but we need to prep before we leave. Not counting my own OCD about this stuff, we are professionals, Kakashi." She would have continued with her tirade, but then a mortifying thought wove its tendrils around her mind, and she clamped her lips shut, avoiding eye contact.

 _Oh god, I'm babbling, aren't I? Shut up, Sakura!_ Of all the shinobi in Konoha, she just had to be assigned a lengthy mission with Kakashi, the man who made her feel like she was twelve all over again just by being near him. What was wrong with her? She was an adult, an accomplished kunoichi, the Godaime's disciple, yet when it came to Kakashi, she couldn't see herself as anything other than a blathering idiot.

"I'm well aware, Sakura – and you still haven't answered my question."

Her neck snapped back at his reply, catching the teasing note in his voice. Of course, he was grinning down at her, as if he _knew_ what she was thinking. The damnable male always seemed to just know these things, Sakura mused, resigned.

"Oh –" was all she managed to utter, or squeak out would be a better fitting term.

"Um, two days, at most?"

His grin burgeoned with amusement, and Sakura was certain that if he wasn't laughing at her before, he now was, despite that mask of his making it nigh impossible to tell the difference.

He quirked a brow. "At most?" he repeated, and she glared at him under her lashes.

"You know what I mean…"

A dip of his chin, and he saved her the embarrassment of further explaining at least. "I'll see you at the gates in three days from now, eight o'clock sharp."

It was Sakura's turn to regard him with a taunting grin.

"Eight o'clock _sharp_ , huh?" she parroted, struggling to hide her grin.

"You know what I mean…" he threw her words back at her, an insidious gleam playing in his visible eye.

Sakura couldn't help the dry laugh that escaped her throat. "Insufferable man…" she huffed.

"I aim to please."

Her jaw went slack, but he was gone before she could breathe more than a "Oh you –"

Sakura bit back a multitude of curses, mostly directed at her and her susceptibility to his charm when Ino cleared her throat, rather loudly, reminding her that they'd had an audience all this time. Sakura nearly groaned.

"What was _that_?" Ino demanded with a pointed stare, hands on her waist, as if Sakura had some explaining to do.

Sakura feigned innocence. "What was what?"

"You're flirting with Kakashi-sensei!" Ino exclaimed, half triumphant, half confused.

Great, the last thing Sakura needed was Ino digging her nose into this giant complication that was her infatuation with her former sensei. "I am most certainly not!" she denied, putting as much emphasis as she could, but she could tell that it would take a lot more than that to deter Ino once that idea had made itself present in the blonde's mind.

"You can't fool me, Sakura – I know you! That was pathetic, but it was flirting when it comes to you…" Ino validated Sakura's assessment, making her want to crawl into a hole and never come out until her insane addiction had ended.

"You're seeing things… Just because Kurenai-sensei and Shikamaru are dating doesn't mean I've developed a taste for such things. Plus, it's Kakashi…" she tried to sway Ino's assumptions with a confidence she wasn't feeling.

But then she recalled Ino's characterization of her behavior, and her infamous temper surfaced. "And it wasn't pathetic!" she pinned Ino with the weight of her glare, hoping this would put an end to their conversation, but she should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

Teal eyes alight with mischief and something else, close to smugness, Ino nudged her shoulder. "So you _were_ flirting…"

"I didn't say that! Gods, you're driving me crazy…" Sakura was one step from strapping Ino to an examination bed and dissecting her. It must have shown in her strung features because Ino held her hands up and turned to leave. Sakura would have exhaled in relief had Ino not spoken again.

"For what it's worth –" Ino threw over her shoulder, the shadow of a smile in her profile, "he was flirting back."

Sakura stared at her friend's back for long minutes. Even after Ino disappeared down the corridor, she kept staring at the illusion of Ino's back, a mixture of astonishment, shock, and denial in the jade of her irises. One thought repeated itself, foremost in her mind, with innate stubbornness, like a mantra.

_No - he couldn't possibly…_

* * *

Sakura slammed the door of her apartment closed, discarded her boots in a careless pile near the threshold, and all but slumped down the entrance of her home. Picking herself up, she walked into her kitchen, indulging in something stronger than mere tea, even though it was barely noon. After three consecutive shots of sake, she grabbed the bottle and made her way into the living room, plopping herself down on her couch.

A mission with Kakashi…away from Konoha, from prying eyes and wagging tongues. Sakura couldn't decide if this was a blessing, a curse, or fate telling her to just get over her goddamned fear and confess. But confess and then what? Even if she came out of her shell and told Kakashi that she would like to take a dive into the abyss with him, or hell, or wherever he willed, she didn't have the slightest inclination of what his reply would be. She could rule out Kakashi mocking her for her brazenness or telling another soul of her humiliation, but besides that, she really had no clue.

Her experience with the other gender was terribly…lacking. There had been Lee's gentlemanly pursuit, Naruto's stalker-like interest, and Sasuke's… Sakura couldn't even describe what it was that she had with Sasuke. After the relentless, pigheaded manner in which she had simply refused to take no for an answer, Sasuke had acquiesced and reciprocated her feelings in the only way he knew. He took what she gave or, more like, what she forced on him. Because that's what she had done, if she wished to be honest. At first, she was beaming with joy that he had given her a chance, but it didn't last long. Exhilaration had lessened until it had eventually turned into sufferance. Sakura couldn't tell when _I love you_ had become something else, almost casual, an excuse to stay together when she knew it was already over. It had only gotten harder and harder to say it with each passing day until she could no longer hide behind the phrase. She didn't know what hurt most either – the realization or Sasuke's indifference about this fact.

Swallowing her pride, Sakura accepted that she had made a mistake – a mistake that had spanned almost a decade. Ten years of her life culminated in an insipid, emotionless break up. She couldn't even yell at Sasuke because as much as she hated it, she was cognizant that this was mostly her fault. If only she had realized this sooner, let go instead of clutching tighter, moved on instead of being stuck in a relationship that offered her nothing but heartbreak. For all her intelligence, she had been a fool. A night of reckless drinking with Kakashi, the non-judgmental knowledge in his eye, the almost sympathy in his smile, was all it had taken to make her disentangle herself from these pernicious notions of pursuing happiness where not even a trace of it could be found. And Kakashi – he was different from all other males in her life.

"Why _him_?" she sighed, defeated. This mission would be the death of her.


	3. Things Better Left Unsaid

Preparations had been made and the team would depart the next morning. Hinata had invited Sakura and Ino for a small, farewell gathering, and they were now chattering in Hinata's living room, lying sprawled on lush cushions.

"It feels like yesterday that Tenten left for Suna and now you're leaving, too," Hinata reminisced. Both Sakura and Ino could hear the silent _I'll miss you_ in her lilting cadence.

Sakura smiled at her, sharing Hinata's sentiments. "We should be back in half a year, Hinata."

"If I don't kill Kiba in the meantime…" Ino muttered, having drunk a bit too much, and Sakura exchanged an amused glance with Hinata.

"We'll be so busy at the hospital, you won't have time to kill him, Ino," Sakura bit out between muffled laughter.

Ino nearly blanched in horror. "That's your ingenious plan? Work us to death just because you wanna get this over with quickly?"

Sakura shrugged, seeing no reason to stall because Ino wanted a vacation. "The sooner we finish the better, don't you think?"

"You can't fool me, Sakura…" Ino pointed a shaking finger at Sakura, eyes narrowed to thin slits.

Sakura rolled her eyes, fully aware of what Ino insinuated. She was growing rather tired of this, having spent the entire time they were preparing listening to Ino's endless blather about how she had the hots for Kakashi. Of course, she had, but god forbid she ever told Ino that. The blonde would never let Sakura live it down, not to mention she would prod her mercilessly until Sakura did something about it.

"Don't start again, Ino. I told you, there's nothing going on between Kakashi and I," she insisted, getting ready to enter into another silly squabble with her, but Hinata's timid voice put an end to their debate before it even began.

"A-ano, Naruto-kun is home," Hinata whispered, unsure if she should have told them that.

"What!?" Ino screeched.

A wild sway of pink hair, Sakura twisted her neck to glare a hole through the wall. "Naruto…" she rumbled.

Naruto appeared not a second later, smiling weakly, an apology on his lips. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to intrude. You're leaving tomorrow and I figured you'd wanna have your girls' night or whatever. I was just going to grab dinner and leave."

Ino's brows rose in a grimace of consternation. "So you weren't spying on us… _again_?" she all but hissed at him.

"It was a one-time thing, Ino!" Naruto shot back, weary of her constant jabs regarding that unfortunate event.

Ino snorted. "Tell that to poor Genma. You scared the living daylights out of him."

A frown marred the expanse of Naruto's forehead. "He was hitting on my wif-" he hurried to defend, but shut up after his little slip of the tongue. Too late. The triumphant glint in Ino's eyes implied he was in for a long night. The last thing he needed was to get her started on his relationship status and how he needed to take it a step further, so he opted for the conversation he'd been meaning to have with Sakura to escape from Ino's clutches.

"Anyway, Sakura-chan, can I talk to you outside for a sec?" he all but begged, and she nodded, smirk slathered on her lips.

"Just propose already!" Ino shouted after them as they stepped out in the back yard, and Naruto cringed.

"She's nuts…"

Sakura's smirk turned into a good-natured grin. "She's right, and you know it. I mean, come on… We all know you're heading that way." She wiggled her brows as if he hadn't gotten the message.

"Is she, now? Then what was that about you and Kakashi-sensei?" he retorted, turning the tables, and staring at her with curiosity.

Sakura bristled, spine straight and stiff, but her reply came out as blithe as ever. "Nothing. She was just being Ino, imagining things just to get a rise out of me."

Blue eyes regarded her with hints of suspicion, as if he didn't buy this excuse, but his words were gentle.

"Granted, but something's bothering you. You don't want to go on this mission, Sakura-chan. Is it –" he paused for a moment, unsure of how to voice this. "Is it Sasuke? Do you want to stay here and…get back together?"

It caught Sakura by surprise, mouth hanging open in disbelief. "What? No!" she denied, albeit too vehemently.

A sigh spilled past his lips, too low a sound. Sakura would have missed it had she not been looking at him. Then his eyes hardened with resolve as if he'd been practicing how to say this for a while, and now was the time to say it.

"Look, I promised him I wouldn't get involved, but he's miserable even if he's acting like a bastard. You know him…"

Of course, Naruto wanted them to give it another go. Sakura didn't know why this came as a shock.

"I thought I did, but clearly you know him better than I do."

She smiled at him then, but it was bitter, full of past-felt emotions, and he decided not to pursue this matter.

"Then what's bothering you? Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, recalling Ino's words.

"No." Sakura shook her head, trying to come up with a plausible excuse. She needn't look far; her very personality gave her one.

"It's just…I don't like lengthy missions, Naruto. You know that I hate having my routine disrupted."

Naruto's mien softened upon hearing this. "It'll be over before you know it. Look, ah, if you can't do it then I'll send someone to replace you. How's that?" he proposed, traces of placation in his voice.

"You'd do that for me? This is an official mission…" Sakura blurted, eyes wide, caught unaware by his offer. Naruto had many sides, but they never coincided. He was the Hokage, the Kyūbi's Jinchūriki, Hinata's lover, Sakura's friend, and many other things. To override one side of himself in favor of another, to go that far for her sake… She was ready to argue, tell him he didn't have to do this, but he spoke again before she could.

"I only agreed because Bee signed Raikage's request with one of his rhymes. He emotionally extorted me to accept this mission, in reality. I'm glad that our villages are in accord, and helping each other is great and all, but medical ninjutsu is Konoha's field of expertise. It's like giving away our village's secrets. Do you really think the Raikage would accept a similar request if it came from us? He's not Gaara, Sakura-chan… I'm doing this as a sign of goodwill mostly, in hopes of strengthening the bonds between Konoha and Kumo."

Sakura could see he had struggled with this decision, the weary lines on his face attested to that, but all she could feel right now was immense pride.

_You've grown up, Naruto._

"What? Did I say something weird?"

Sakura sniffed lightly, eyes glittering like warm emeralds. "Quite the opposite," she reassured him.

"I'll be fine, but thank you, Naruto."

Soft hands on his neck, fingers caressing his jaw, she stood on her toes to press her lips on his forehead. Naruto draped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her close for a loose embrace.

"My offer still stands," he murmured, the sound drowned in the silk of her hair.

"I know. Go away now! Girls' night, remember?" she laughed and shooed him away, disengaging herself from the rather emotional hug.

"I got it, but tell Ino _not_ to invite perverts in my house! It makes Hinata uncomfortable…" he grunted, trying to be suave, but he wasn't fooling anyone.

"Right, Hinata…" she drawled, that smirk finding its way on her lips again, and he shuffled with discomfort.

"Just propose already!" Sakura swatted his arm, sauntering inside, unable to stop smiling. She was loved, and that's all that mattered. No matter what happened, she would always have Naruto.

* * *

The next morning found Sakura sporting a slight headache, Ino bearing a massive hangover, Kiba napping with soft snores for the better part of two hours after the designated time before Konoha's gates, and no sight of Kakashi.

"Sa-ku-ra…" Ino enunciated each syllable, her voice bleeding with murderous intentions.

Sakura merely shrugged. "I know, Ino."

"It's been like two hours for god's sake! I don't know how you can put up with this." Ino threw her hands up, the turquoise in her eyes dimmed with annoyance.

"It's just the way he is," Sakura reiterated for the fifth time this morning.

Ino turned on her with a thunderous expression, fed up with hearing the same excuse over and over. "That's it? Aren't you the least bit angry?"

Sakura sighed, seeing no reason to answer. She had stopped growing angry over this quite a while ago.

"He's got his reasons," she said instead, knowing with aching clarity, though vaguely, what those reasons were even if Kakashi himself had never shared them. Sakura didn't need to know the specifics, like Naruto or Sasuke probably did. If Kakashi wished to tell her, she would listen, but as far as she was concerned his past was his own. The fact that he dedicated his mornings in visiting graves of his fallen friends was a discovery she had made when she had still been his student, and it was enough for her.

"Which are?" Ino pressed, undeterred.

"Ask him yourself when he gets here," she returned with the most nonchalant timbre she could muster, and Ino huffed, stalking off to pester Kiba after Sakura's less than forthcoming, short sentences.

"Get up, Kiba!" she almost growled, kicking his ribs, though she didn't use much force.

Kiba woke in an instant, voice husky with sleep. "Ready to go?" He ran a hand through his hair, his disheveled, rugged appearance making a most enticing sight, though Ino would never admit that.

"Some bodyguard you are…" she mocked instead, crossing her arms and leering at him under her nose.

A slow grin split the seam of his lips. "I'm all for guarding bodies, babe."

His gaze trailed over her body, high and higher, stroked the swell of her breasts, languish, thick with invitation.

A shiver rippled over her skin, provoked by the lust in his eyes. "You're disgusting!" Ino hissed, cheeks aflame.

Sakura watched their antics, amused, and a bit disturbed. She chuckled, willing to bet that the comely, rouge color spreading across Ino's cheekbones was more heat and less embarrassment. Kiba…of all people, Ino was attracted to the uncouth brute who went through women faster than Naruto did ramen bowls. Then again, who was she to judge…

"Yo!"

Kakashi's usual greeting rang in Sakura's ears, but she didn't give him the satisfaction of knowing she was startled. Really, after all these years, and he could still sneak up on her. It was unfair, to say the least. He wasn't looking at her, anyway. Following his line of vision, she wasn't surprised by the chuckle that vibrated in his throat. Sakura relished the sound. Low, lazy, it ignited a flash of heat, warmth coiling in her abdomen, like everything else this man did.

"Got a thing for him, has she?" he more stated than asked, appraising Ino, lost in her banter with Kiba.

Sakura frowned, lips drawn into a tight line, mentally scolding herself for reacting to the mere sound of his voice.

"I was hoping Tenten was wrong, but I'm starting to think she does," she nodded absent-mindedly, but then something snapped in her mind.

"Wait… How can you tell with _just_ one look? It took me _two months_ to figure this out," she admitted, frustrated by both her tardiness and the discovery itself.

A tilt of his neck, and Sakura found herself under the shadow of his gaze.

"I'm a man."

His tone was leisure, but the way he said this held nothing casual in it. Sakura could see the fabric of his mask stretching under the grin that formed on his lips, implying more than she wanted to know. He spoke of tangled limbs, slick want and perspiration, things primal and wild. She had known of course, couldn't possibly miss the fact that he, like all men, had tasted desire, but there was no need to throw it in her face in such a blatant, sexual manner.

"And I've got a good nose. Kiba's got a better one, though."

He laughed then, rough-hewn, swelling with all the things he hinted at.

"What -" Sakura mumbled, entranced by the beguiling sonance of his laughter. Cognition struck like a sharpened kunai. "Oh!"

 _Oh god! They can tell when…_ She smothered everything, buried them deep inside, until no sign of them was left. Marching up to Ino, she grabbed her arm in an attempt to save them both from further mortification, and went on ahead.

"Let's just go… I'll tell you later!" she sputtered when Ino asked what the hell was wrong with her.


	4. Of Good Noses and Suicide

The travel to Kumogakure had been a nightmare. Sakura had to be vigilant not only for enemy shinobi, but for her own treacherous reactions as well. When they finally stood before the Raikage, she only felt relief that it was over.

Sharp, to the point, the Raikage nodded at each of them, wasting no time with pleasantries. "Welcome to Kumogakure."

They all returned his curt nod with respect. "Raikage-sama."

"Enough with the formalities. Haven't seen you since the war ended, Kakashi. How's your brat of a Hokage?" Not one to stand at decorum, he addressed Kakashi, acknowledging his status as team leader.

"Naruto is well. How is Bee-san?" Kakashi returned in a more polite tone than the Raikage's gruff one.

"A rhyming pain in my ass!" the Raikage exclaimed, and Ino barely had time to drown a giggle.

A tight-lipped smile formed on the Raikage's lips. His chin dipped, and a blond shinobi, vaguely familiar to Sakura, came forward.

"You already know C." He spoke more to Sakura than Kakashi now, and she inclined her head. "He's the one in charge of our medics and he'll be your supervisor. Anything you want, he's your man."

Sakura gave a swift nod towards the young shinobi, having worked with him on the field, and C returned the gesture, though more for courtesy's sake. Sakura clearly remembered the man calling them 'Konoha dogs' upon first meeting. Not that Sakura had thought it much of an insult, seeing as Akamaru was in the room. They were from Konoha and they had brought dogs. If she wasn't in the Raikage's presence, she would have been tempted to make a joke out of it just to see C's face curl in distaste.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" the Raikage barked, and C sprang into action.

 _Really…and he called_ us _'dogs'…_ Sakura snickered after this display, but wisely kept the comment to herself.

"If you follow me, I'll show you to your accommodations then give you the hospital tour." C didn't actually wait for them to follow as he led them out of the Raikage's office, and Sakura smothered a sigh. Working with the arrogant twit would be a real trial. She shared a knowing glance with Ino, both shaking their heads at what was to come.

* * *

C led them straight to the hotel prepared for their use. Sakura barely had time to steal some glances at the thronged markets and the bustling streets that were the heart of Kumogakure. Ino nudged her shoulder a couple times, indicating the shops she would like to visit later, and Sakura smiled with accession. Leave it to Ino to think of shopping first and foremost. Then C entered a tall, white building, signaling for them to follow him inside. He gave their information to the concierge and motioned for the hotel manager to lead them to their rooms.

"Rooms 101 and 102 are yours, free of charge of course. I'll leave you to get settled now and return in an hour for the hospital tour," was all C said before he was gone.

After a few minutes deciding rooms, Sakura and Ino chose the one overseeing the street, and they all promised to meet at the entrance in an hour.

"As friendly as always," Ino scoffed as she unpacked while Sakura took out the scrolls for the first lesson they would be teaching.

Sakura shrugged, having expected C's reaction, more or less. "He was polite enough. What did you expect? He wasn't much fond of Konoha shinobi, if you recall, and he's a medic nin. Having to ask for our medical expertise must be somewhat vexing."

"You aren't thinking of starting lessons today, are you?" Ino asked with notes of reproach once she saw what Sakura was doing.

"Well, yes," was Sakura's reply, as natural as breathing.

An indelicate groan slipped past Ino's lips, exasperation evident in her wrung features. "Really, Sakura? How far up your bum is that stick?"

"Oh, I'm sorry for treating this as a mission and not an excuse for vacation," Sakura spat, full of sarcasm.

Ino's countenance calmed, all traces of pique dissipated, and Sakura knew the blonde was about to use a logical argument. Sakura hated when Ino did that because she usually won.

"One day, Sakura. Let's just meet with the medics, get familiar with how things are done in the hospital, and have some fun touring around. We can start first thing tomorrow morning. It won't kill you to take it easy for _one_ day!"

Damn Ino and her frivolous logic. Sakura bit back a curse, acquiescing grudgingly. "Fine."

Ino beamed at her, the whiteness of her teeth nearly blinding Sakura, and she couldn't help but offer a small smile back. Ino's ravishment was infectious, or more like a disease, Sakura thought and chuckled. Then she finally recalled what she'd been meaning to tell Ino since their departure from Konoha which effectively murdered all delight.

"Um, Ino –" she began, gaining Ino's attention, but stopped, not knowing how to broach the peculiar – and highly embarrassing – matter.

"Yeah?" Ino shot back, stopping her unpacking again.

"Ah, well, you see –" Sakura fidgeted, nervousness leaking off of her.

Ino lost her patience. "Spill, Forehead! What's up?"

Steeling herself, Sakura released her sentence in one breath.

"Kiba's got a good nose!" she sputtered, backing out of her original purpose. Sakura had planned to be a little more literal than that, but she lost her nerve at the last minute.

Ino stared at her in bafflement, as was expected. "What's that supposed to mean? I know the mutt has a good nose."

Inhalation. Exhalation. Sakura tried again, only to end up repeating the same silly sentence.

"No, I mean he has a _really_ _good nose_."

She intoned each word at the very least, willing Ino to decrypt her ridiculous way of phrasing this. A mixture of intrigue, shock, and slight accusation, Ino regarded her closely, intently.

"Sakura, please tell me that wasn't a euphemism for something else because th-"

"What? No!" Sakura hurried to deny before Ino finished that mortifying thought.

"You're not making any sense, woman!" Ino exploded, and she was right.

"Kakashi said, well…he said that –" Sakura now had a pretty good idea of how her mother had felt when she had given her the 'talk'. This was surreal. It was simple enough to explain, Sakura had no qualms over that. Kakashi hadn't even broken a sweat, but then again he was a _man_. A jolt of electricity coursed though her veins as his laughter flooded her mind, and she completely lost track of what she was trying to explain.

"For the love of… Do I have to beat it out of you, Sakura? _What is it?_ " Ino yelled, bringing her back to the present.

Sakura's blood had turned into liquid heat, her breath coming out in shallow gasps, and she blurted the first thing that came to her mind.

"Arousal!" she screamed.

Both women fell silent for a long, stagnant moment. Peals of deep, masculine laughter echoed from the room next door, right on cue, and Sakura wanted to die right there and then. What on earth had possessed her to scream _that_?

Ino cleared her throat, uncaring of the commotion. "I'm sorry… _what_?"

She kept gazing at Sakura with a bizarre expression as if she was crazy - which wasn't far from the truth at present. Well, the cat was out of the bag, so Sakura might as well try to sound coherent. Things couldn't possibly get any worse either way.

"You know about dogs and scent, right? What I'm trying – and failing – to say is that…" she took another pause, inhaling sharply, "Kiba's got a good nose."

Realization dawned in the depths of Ino's eyes, her sclera swallowing the teal shade, and Sakura cringed in sympathy, scooting closer to pat Ino's shoulder for what good that was.

"Gods! Why didn't you say this sooner? Like…a few months ago?" Ino jackknifed off the bed, pacing up and down with furious steps, fingers woven in the pale mass of her hair.

Sakura's head hung between her shoulders, partaking in Ino's tumult. "I didn't know! Kakashi just told me the morning we left."

Ino's neck snapped with a cracking sound. "And you've waited all this time to share this?" she asked, appalled, if not a bit recriminating.

Sakura met her gaze straight on. She would _not_ be held accountable for this mess when Ino hadn't even deigned to confide in her about her crush on Kiba in the first place.

"When was I supposed to tell you? We didn't have a moment alone while traveling. Plus, you didn't bother telling me that you were into him… If it hadn't been for Tenten, I wouldn't have noticed at all," she bit out, rather sullen about the whole affair. Thanks to Ino's infatuation, Kakashi was in the room next door, laughing his ass off and god knows what else.

This served to allay Ino's irritation. A scintilla of shame slathered on her cheeks, she gave Sakura an apologetic smile.

"You're right… I'm sorry, okay? I just…didn't know how to tell you. I mean, it's Kiba!"

Sakura couldn't really hold it against her, not when Ino was looking as if she wanted the earth to split open and swallow her whole.

"I'm doomed!" Ino whispered, plopping down on the bed, drenched in a pool of despair.

"Use an obscene amount of perfume or body lotion to mask the scent?" Sakura offered lamely.

Ino glared at her beneath a tangle of flaxen strands. "Thanks, Sakura… That's very helpful."

"Don't blame the messenger, Ino-pig," Sakura huffed, suppressing a chuckle. Despite the awkwardness, the humiliation and the like, it was quite hilarious, if she wished to be honest – both of their situations, that is.

"Wait a minute…" Ino mumbled then, a calculative glimmer in her eyes. "Why were you and Kakashi-sensei discussing _that_?"

"Apparently," Sakura started, her voice careful and even, not wishing to reveal too much, "he's got a good nose, too."

Her finishing line delivered the last blow to Ino's dignity. Sakura did feel a twinge of guilt for withholding things from her, but she couldn't handle Ino's incessant nagging right now.

" _Please_ tell me that doesn't mean what I think it means…" Ino practically begged Sakura to deny the undeniable conclusion.

"Sorry…"

* * *

As promised, C returned an hour later, punctual to a fault. Ino simply refused to make eye contact with Kiba during their trip to the hospital, and Sakura copied her example, avoiding Kakashi like her life depended on it. Both women took extra care to always walk three steps behind the men. Quite dramatic, but neither her dignity nor Ino's could survive another hit. Once they entered the hospital, the welcoming scent of antiseptic and a swarm of medics engulfed them. Sakura had little time to assess anything for the time being, besides the fact that most people stared at them with varying expressions of wonderment and eagerness.

Unfortunately, C then declared they had to split in two groups since there were too many people to be cramped into one classroom. Kiba flanked Ino, indicating he would be accompanying her, and Ino mouthed the words _save me_ to her, but Sakura was experiencing the same predicament. The bulk of Kakashi's shadow loomed over her, close - _so close_. Warmth and something else, the scent of male, of lightning, things untamed seeped through her skin. Sakura gulped, vying for fresh air, grateful that she had let Ino convince her to do just an orientation today. She didn't know how much more of this she could take, honestly.

A susurrus of exhilaration amassed in the room designated for her use once both shinobi stepped in. Sakura called names from the clipboard she was given by C, trying her best to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. Kakashi reclined against the crème wall at her back, arms crossed, muscles flexing – a current, silent guard. Even if Sakura wanted to erase his presence in her perception, the damned shinobi under her tutelage refused to cooperate. The majority of them were kunoichi – young, pretty kunoichi - but that wasn't the issue here. The most pressing problem was the babeldom of whispers slipping past feminine lips as she passed by to distribute the papers with the curriculum and the bibliography.

"Hatake Kakashi –"

"That's _him_ \- the Copy nin…"

"- better at lightning jutsu than our _own_ shinobi."

"- cut through lightning…"

"- seems handsome…"

Sakura strove to ignore the blathering females as best as she could, but it proved futile. They were acting like, well…like she had acted during her Academy years while fawning over Sasuke – and that was bad, very bad indeed. Sakura hadn't the slightest inkling that Kakashi was this popular outside of Konoha. To her, he was…Kakashi, had always been _just Kakashi_. She was aware of course that he had a reputation, but she never imagined something like this. When it came to the point where she had to repeat herself in order to draw attention, she gave up.

"May I speak with you in private, Kakashi? Excuse us for a few minutes."

Sakura smiled at him, her voice deceptive, dripping with sweetness, but warning underlay her words. Kakashi tilted his neck in acknowledgment, a twinkle of amusement in his eye, though whether at her or the swooning pile of kunoichi, Sakura couldn't tell with certainty. Once they were in the privacy of the conjoint office, she reeled back, pinning him with a withering glare.

"What are you doing, Kakashi?" she demanded, nails sinking into the soft skin of her waist beneath layers of clothes and her white coat.

"My job."

The casualness of his reply, the mirth dancing in the black of his iris, incited her ire. He knew very well that she wasn't asking him that, but if he wanted to play this game with her, Sakura would indulge him, if only for indignation's sake. A flutter of thick lashes, she smiled that fake smile again, never reaching her eyes.

"Which is?" she prompted him to elaborate, voice thick in saccharine aggression.

Kakashi shrugged, delivered his line without the merest hesitation. "Making sure nothing happens to you."

The moment the words left his lips, Sakura saw red. She advanced on him, pressing the pad of a finger against his vest, neck craned back, daring to stare him down if that was even possible with his imposing height. Her tone was clipped when she spoke.

"One, I'm perfectly capable of fending for myself. Two, we're inside a hospital, a safe zone. Three, you're disrupting _my_ work."

His visible eye creased to a crescent. If he wasn't wearing a mask, Sakura would bet he was mimicking her own smile. The action conveyed he wouldn't budge an inch on this matter and, just like that, Sakura deflated.

"Can't you at least wait outside the teaching classroom?" she opted for a compromise, but the insufferable male was having none of that.

"No."

"Is this how things are going to be?"

"Yes."

"I can't have you in there."

Sakura's foot tapped against the floor rhythmically, deafening in the pristine room. This was aggravating her nerves, gnawing at the barriers of her self-control. Kakashi must have realized it, for he chose to try a different approach rather than concise yes or no answers.

"I'm just standing guard, Sakura. _Behind you_. _Always_."

Sakura's thoughts regressed to mere curses, lamenting his change in tactics. No, this was infinitely worse. The way he uttered the words, lathered with huskiness, bordering on carnality, or at least that was how Sakura perceived them. She could be wrong of course, but she could never tell with him. Kakashi could be flirting or not; he could even be using temptation because it suited his purposes for all she knew.

"How am I bothering you?" he asked when she remained quiet for too long as it seemed.

Teeth bit into her lower lip, and she decided to throw caution to hell. She wasn't one for subtlety, anyway. Kakashi could be sly all he wanted, throw insinuations and dally with her lust, but Sakura was done falling for his ambiguous words.

"You're not bothering _me_ but _them_!" she hissed, motioning towards the classroom with a slant of her neck.

His neck emulated her movement, perused the kunoichi for a few seconds then collided with her own once more, but he still didn't utter a word. Kakashi was carefully neutral as far as she could see, no smugness, no refusal, betraying absolutely nothing.

"Oh don't play dumb," she chastised. If he wasn't inclined to vocalize it then she would. "I had to repeat myself at least three times just because they were distracted by staring at you."

A spark of awareness lighted in his eye. At long last. "I don't think they minded," he pointed out, validating her original guess. Of course, he knew. Kakashi merely wanted her to be the one who brought it to attention for whatever demented reason he entertained in the mysteries of his mind.

Sakura shook her head, more tired than anything now. "That's exactly the problem. They _want_ _you_ …" she enunciated, without caring for her wording. As soon as the last words spilled forth, she realized her mistake, pulse spiking, teeth sinking into the plumpness of her lips. His gaze lowered, touched the reddened flesh, half-lidded silence, tension suspended in the atmosphere between them. Thick. Writhing. It was an instinctive response on both sides.

"In there," she added, too breathy, too late.

Kakashi leaned back, disentangled his gaze from the lure of her lips. Tension uncoiled, in slow ringlets. "They're just intrigued after all the rumors. I'm sure your lessons will be much more riveting than an old dog's presence."

"You're not old," she denied, almost mechanically, finding the notion ludicrous, and there was that chuckle again, full of decadence. Sakura truly hated him at this moment. Composing herself, she vowed to get her act together.

"I mean, I'd very much appreciate it if you could stand guard outside," she proposed in the most passive tone her vocal cords could produce.

"No."

Great, her arctic reply prompted him to revert to laconic sentences. She should have expected this. As if he would ever make things easy for her. Her lids descended, her pulse evened. When she opened them again there was a harshness, an edge not present before. Her voice, too, was uncharacteristically cold when she parted her lips to speak.

"You're deriving pleasure from this, aren't you?"

"Perhaps."

"Suit yourself."

An attrition of teeth, and Sakura was turning to return to the classroom first. She could feel Kakashi's eyes on the slope of her back, titillating her nerve endings, damn near torturing her, but she would not yield. How was she supposed to focus like this? What's more, at this rate, Sakura had an ugly suspicion that she would be the one playing bodyguard for Kakashi. Unless he was receptive to all the attention he was getting. Perhaps, he'd even indulge one of the pretty kunoichi in a short affair. That last thought succeeded in breaking through her newly constructed shell of apathy.

_I'm more doomed than Ino…_


	5. Want a Dog?

Sakura's nerves had been reduced to a skein of tethered knots by the time the orientation came to an end. At the very least, she had enough wits to retain the names of her students. They lined up once the class was concluded to shake hands and exchange pleasantries, expressing their gratitude and appreciation for her coming lessons. Most of the kunoichi, and even one male shinobi, stole furtive glances at Kakashi, though none dared address him directly. Sakura knew it was only a matter of time before the bolder of the bunch took such liberties. When the room had been cleared out, Sakura exhaled a suffering breath, and turned to the warm, living statue of a guard behind her. Except for the occasional clenching of muscles, Kakashi had been the epitome of stillness and silence for the duration of her class.

"I didn't want to cause an incident during class, but we need to set some ground rules, Kakashi."

She struck him with a no-nonsense stare, voice sharp and piercing, alerting him that she meant business.

Not even a muscle tick now, nothing but the barest motion of lips as he spoke.

"I'm listening."

A veneer of professionalism, Sakura handed him the paper she had passed to her students.

"According to the curriculum, the teaching method consists of three parts. Theoretical lectures in the morning, applied practice and lab work during noon, and the evenings are reserved for patient rounds," she reiterated what she had said during class as an opening line before she proceeded to make her main point.

"I can allow you to be present during the former parts, but I'm not negotiating the latter. There is something called doctor/patient confidentiality. I will not bend my ethics unless you think there is mortal danger to my patients or myself," she finished with a tone that was intolerant of defiance on his part.

A quirk of his mouth softened his expression, faintly noticeable beneath his mask.

"I'm well aware, Sakura. If you recall, I've been a patient myself quite a few times."

Sakura lost her momentum after his admission. Was Kakashi actually agreeing to this? It would be far too facile, but then again, try as she might, she could never predict his reactions.

"Right." Her brows knit in a frown, belying her skepticism, even before she vociferated it. "Then you agree to my terms?"

His lips slanted in a lopsided smile or so she surmised. Sakura contemplated challenging him to a sparring session for the mere sake of unveiling what lay underneath that detestable mask. She was no longer twelve years old; she could hold her own against him, though his cunning methods gave him the upper hand. Even so, Sakura was very much tempted to try, her reasons having little to do with curiosity. If she knew what his face looked like then perhaps he wouldn't feel inclined to wear a mask during private discussions.

"I'll be patrolling the corridors on the floor you'll be doing your rounds. How's that?"

His easy acceptance made perfect sense now - he had already thought of a backup plan. Sakura couldn't decide between congratulating him for his resourcefulness or whacking him for his assiduousness, so she opted for merely nodding.

"Acceptable."

A roguish chroma daubed the ebon sheen of his iris, relaying he still had an ace up his sleeve, though Sakura couldn't possibly decipher what it was.

"I guess that's it then?" she asked for confirmation, her question coated in tangible suspicion.

"Yep."

His reply was _too_ enthusiastic, his temple crinkled with laughing lines.

"I'll see you tomorrow then. Ino and I are going sightseeing and shopping," she informed him, putting an end to their discussion. There was no need to announce her plans, but she figured it couldn't hurt.

"Are you, now?"

Curious, even challenging, the way he voiced this, the insidious flash in his gaze, validated her hypothesis. Kakashi was definitely planning something, Sakura was absolutely certain.

"I don't like that look on your face, Kakashi. Don't tell me you're intent on gluing yourself to me for the duration of our mission. In case it has escaped your notice, I'm a well trained kunoichi. You saw to that personally."

A small tick had worked its way on her temple as she spoke, warning Kakashi her control was held together by a very thin thread. He continued to smile at her in the same condescending manner, as if he was impervious to it.

"No, I'll behave myself, and, yes, I'm very proud of you."

Sakura wasn't sure if he was mocking her, but decided to take his words at face value, if only to save herself from additional grief.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

His nonchalance was grating on her nerves with a maddening insistence. The sooner she left the better for her mental state and his physical condition. Sakura gave him one last stare, wary, heavy-lidded, then turned her back to leave. Before she could take two steps, a 'plop' and a nimbus of smoke filled the room. Disoriented, she turned around, only to come ankles to face with Pakkun.

"Hello, Sakura. Long time no see," the pug greeted in the most casual of tones, unbeknownst to him, adding oil to the fire.

"You said you'll behave yourself!" she growled, disregarding Pakkun's appearance to spare the innocent ninken a tongue-lashing that was solely reserved for his contractor.

Kakashi had the gall to grin down at her because - mask or no mask – Sakura could tell that he _was_ grinning.

"I am. Pakkun here made no such promise, though."

Oh, that was priceless. _Fine. Have it your way, Kakashi. Let's see who breaks first._ Sakura could play this game, too, if she calmed down. Kakashi would know she was not a woman he wished to trifle with by the time she walked out of this hospital.

A smile stretched across her lips, dipped in venomous honey, and she almost felt him shaking, struggling not to laugh. Kakashi thought she was funny, huh? Well, far be it from her to deprive him of entertainment. Sakura knelt to scratch the pug's ear, focusing her attention on the dog instead of the man.

"You know, Pakkun, I feel sorry for you. When was the last time Kakashi pampered you? The spa Ino is dying to try out caters to animals as well. How about it? Consider this my gift?" she proposed, catching Kakashi's surprise from the corner of her eye. Her smile morphed into a smirk, satisfaction smeared on rosé-hued flesh.

"Sakura," Pakkun called in his usual, flat tone, "have you ever considered getting a contract with dogs? We are much cuddlier than slugs. I'll let you touch my soft paws as much as you want."

Laughter buzzed in her lungs, undulated in her throat, until Sakura could no longer hold it within. The feminine sound merged with another, wholly desirous, addictive. Damn him and damn his laughter. She tilted her neck but remained on her knees, took pleasure in the novel angle, having him gaze down at her. All sleek, tight muscles and litheness he was, leashed power and promises of heat. The viridian in her eyes simmered with something dark, intrinsic, and his laughter ceased - silence, tensile, visceral.

"Are you seducing my ninken, Sakura?"

Low, layered with venery, his voice permeated her skin, sank into her core. Warmth and wetness spiraled deep inside her, coalesced into molten lava. Kakashi might as well have asked if she was seducing _him_.

 _Who is seducing whom?_ Sakura couldn't find the answer to her own question. It took all of her self-restraint to make her voice be as natural as was humanly possible when she opened her mouth.

"I'd like to think of it as offering better employment. If they're going to be guarding me then they better be under my orders at least."

Kakashi laughed again and, just like that, the spell was broken.

"What happened to the sweet, innocent girl I used to know?" he asked, gaze sparkling, a wicked tease.

Sakura gave him a cheeky grin, reminiscent of old times.

"Tsunade-sama took her under her wing."

Kakashi rubbed his chin as if her reply made all the sense in the world, and she couldn't help but chuckle.

"That explains everything… That woman is a force of nature."

"Careful there, Kakashi. She might be retired, but she's still my shishō. You don't want me tattling to her, do you?" she warned, good-natured provocation, though Sakura was – a tiny bit - tempted to use this against him if he pressed her.

His face fell, a flicker of mock horror in his visible eye, more playful than ever.

"You are a cruel, devious woman."

"Why thank you. I'll take that as a compliment."

Sakura was more than enjoying herself, bantering with Kakashi without having to watch her words, but her ravishment was nothing compared to what she felt when Pakkun jumped in with a shocking remark.

"You should. Back in the day, he was a real horn dog, and you would have been just his type," the pug commented, bluntly as always.

If Sakura had been in Kakashi's stead, she would have flushed a deep, crimson color. As it was, Kakashi merely leveled Pakkun with a feigned, stern expression, but Sakura could tell he was more amused than irked.

"Oh really?" she enunciated, straightening up. "I think you just earned yourself another spa treatment, Pakkun. Why don't you tell me _all_ about it on the way there?"

A flick of smooth, pink locks, hips sashaying, and Sakura was walking away, the ninken at her heels.

"Don't believe a word. He'll say anything for a shampoo treatment," Kakashi called after her. Sakura could hear the smile in his voice.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, Kakashi. Enjoy the rest of your day."

* * *

A blur of sun-kissed hair was all Sakura saw before Ino was upon her, literally dragging her out of the hospital with a force Sakura had never thought the other woman possessed.

"Thank god you're finally here! Let's go – now!"

Sakura allowed Ino to lead until they reached the crowded streets of Kumogakure's main market. "Are you alright?" she asked, worried, though it was plainly visible that wasn't the case.

"Yeah, peachy… What do you think, Sakura? I'm exhausted! Actually, no, I'm on the verge of a mental breakdown!" Ino snapped at her, breathing heavily. It was then she finally took notice of the added member in their company.

"Is that Pakkun?" she blurted, flabbergasted.

The pug raised a paw in greeting. "Hello, Ino."

"Hi," Ino returned in an automatic response. "What's he doing here?"

"What do you think?" Sakura refrained from actually rolling her eyes, but Ino got the message either way.

Ino's brows shot up in disbelief. "No - he didn't…"

"Oh yeah, he did." The wryness in Sakura's tone was palpable.

"What is wrong with men!?" Ino exclaimed, startling a few passersby. Sakura smiled at them in an awkward apology.

"The list is too long," she grunted when they were out of other's hearing range.

"You can say that again."

"Look -" Sakura sighed, dejected. "I promised Pakkun a spa treatment, so why don't we start from there? I think I need to tell you some things, too."

Ino graced Sakura with the first true smile she had seen from the woman all day.

"That sounds god-sent right now."

* * *

After various skin, hair, nail treatments, and virtually anything Ino could sign them up for, Sakura had gone slack, putty under the dexterous hands of the masseuse currently working on her calves. Rarely did Sakura indulge in such expensive luxuries but, once in a while, it felt nice to remember that she was a woman, and not a stethoscope with legs.

She had exploited the time spent under the experts' hands to confess her secret to Ino. If they were going to spend six months together, Sakura knew she wouldn't be able to hide it for long, anyway. Ino had barely interrupted Sakura with nosy questions or exclamations while she talked - which was a first.

"Well? Aren't you going to gloat or say something along the lines of 'I knew it!'?" Sakura prodded Ino, a tad impatient, when she tired of Ino's infant impassiveness.

"Not today. I think we both can agree that we've had enough punishment for one day."

A drained sigh came from Ino's side. Sakura agreed with Ino wholly, for once.

"What are we going to do, Sakura? I can't teach with Kiba sniffing around me like a goddamn hound! At least, in your case, Kakashi stays silent and is just…watching you."

Though sapped of strength, Ino managed a spurt of vigor, if only to release a louder sigh.

Sakura snorted. "Trust me, that's worse. I can't tell what he's thinking. At least you know Kiba wants to have a go between your legs with his behavior."

"You're not telling me to let him, are you?"

Ino struggled to twist her neck, so she could stare at Sakura with mild astonishment.

"I'm not telling you what to do period. You wanna get involved with him? Be my guest," Sakura replied, not in the mood for a debate.

"That's very helpful, Forehead."

Ino's snarky retort elicited a spark of life in Sakura.

"Okay, fine. I admit that my first instinct is to warn you against it. He's a playboy, Ino… If all you want is to have some fun then by all means, but if you want something more, I'm not sure Kiba is the right man for you."

Sakura didn't say anything Ino didn't already know, but she got the impression that Ino just needed to hear it from someone else.

"I know - I'll…figure it out, somehow," she mumbled, burying her face into the hole of the massage bed once more.

They spent the rest of their time enjoying the soothing strokes and touches of the masseuses, until Sakura felt Ino's eyes burning a hole through her skull.

"Just ask, Ino. Pakkun won't repeat anything to a certain someone, will you?" she wiggled to spare a glance downwards where the ninken was receiving his own version of a massage, though Sakura was more inclined to simply call it 'petting'.

"No, ma'am," came his reply in a monotone, though it carried some hints of ravishment.

"You just got yourself a pedicure."

"About that contract…" Pakkun stifled what could only be a rumble of pleasure, "anytime you want is fine with me."

Sakura chuckled. "Don't ask," she told Ino when the blonde seemed ready to ask what that was all about.

Ino nodded, though intrigued. "How long have you been…in love with Kakashi-sensei?" she asked her original question instead.

Sakura ruminated on this, but it didn't take long for her to form an answer, having expected this at some point.

"It's hard to tell… I don't know for sure, but I think it started before I broke up with Sasuke."

"Why don't you just tell him how you feel?" Ino suggested. Then she chuckled softly. "For the record, I do believe he's flirting with you…"

There were no ifs, ands, or buts about the flirting part; Sakura had first hand experience, but there was more to it than simply confessing, and she told Ino as much.

"It's not that simple, Ino. I broke up with Sasuke two months ago."

"So? What's that got to do with anything?" Ino prompted her, not understanding Sakura's reasoning.

"As much as I'd like to call him a bastard and place the blame solely on him, I can't. _I_ messed up, Ino. Sasuke's always been like this. I don't know why I ever thought we could make it work. We have different dreams, we like different things, we don't really have anything in common besides Naruto, Kakashi, and the desire to someday have kids. Why didn't I see this before?"

If Sakura had appeared dispirited before, she sounded downright depressed now. She couldn't fathom how she had refused to make the realization for ten goddamned years when it was obvious to anyone with half a brain. Perhaps, she should consider herself lucky that she had at least recognized the futility of her relationship before she had turned old and gray. It was a small consolation, if anything at all.

"You were in love, Sakura. As the adage goes, love is blind," Ino whispered, as if this explained everything and, in a way, it did.

"Exactly. What if this is the same case? What if I'm seeing things, imagining a future that doesn't exist? We're not kids anymore, Ino…and I don't want to repeat stupid mistakes."

An unintelligible sound gurgled in her throat, something between a groan and a cry, before Sakura continued.

"I've known Kakashi for half my life. Once I say it, I can never take it back and pretend it never happened."

"But you can't stop flirting either…" Ino pointed out, making no effort to keep her giggling down in an attempt to lighten Sakura's mood. She succeeded.

"I can't help it! He brings it out of me…" Sakura laughed, half frustrated, half amused. "You should know that. Don't think I've forgotten that you went after him once – or more than once."

Sakura was joking. It was an old incident that never failed to amuse both women to this day. Her 'sensei-are-so-hot' phase - as Ino called it – had lasted a year, and Kakashi hadn't been the only victim on her list.

"That was ages ago! For god's sake, I was eighteen - practically, a hormonal accident waiting to happen! And he never even gave me a second glance. If it wasn't for those erotic novels he reads all the bloody time, I'd have been convinced he was asexual! So, no, I can't say I've been privileged to be on the receiving end of Kakashi-sensei's attention - which is a very good thing now."

Pakkun chose that moment to participate with a loud, caustic snort.

"If he's asexual then I'm a poodle."


	6. Just Say Yes

The pug had been sending messages to Kakashi all day long, but nothing besides concise, devoid of details, reports of activities. His last message mentioned they were going out for drinks – and that was three hours ago. Kakashi had half a mind to track them down and keep an eye on them himself. He was minutes from actually doing it when Pakkun returned just a shy before midnight.

"Well?" Kakashi prodded the ninken to give his last report, though he was aware that nothing had happened. Pakkun wouldn't have strolled in without a care in the world - and looking more satisfied than Kakashi had seen him in years – if something had gone awry.

Pakkun shrugged. "You know she's fine, Kakashi."

The Copy nin leveled him with an inscrutable expression, but Pakkun was having none of it.

"I'm not giving up spa treatments to stroke your ego," he grumbled, a bit petulant, turning his head the other way.

Kakashi's lips curled in a half-smirk – then he chuckled.

"I believe you just did, old friend."

Pakkun's gaze bored into his for a long moment, human awareness shimmering beneath the animal features.

"I'll never understand humans and your need to complicate things. Why don't you just mate her? You know you want to," he shot back in that flat, unchanging tone of his.

Kakashi's brow rose in amusement. Leave it to Pakkun to be utterly blunt no matter the topic of discussion.

"Our definition of that term slightly differs."

Pakkun gave an undignified snort at that. "I said _mate_ , not _rut_. Not that you'd have a problem with either."

Kakashi's amusement swelled. "Are you giving me relationship advice?"

"Nope, just pointing out the obvious. Do you remember when the last time you wanted a female was?" the pug asked, eyes narrow, intent. Kakashi knew of course, but let the pug answer his own question. It was not often that Pakkun deigned to indulge in personal conversation with him, and Kakashi thought it diverting to hear him out for once.

"Because I do," the pug continued, unfettered. "It was five years ago – the _same woman_. Kinda funny, actually… How you realized that Sakura _was_ a woman, though you tried to forget you ever made the connection."

Pakkun barked out something that sounded a lot like laughter mixed with a murmur of _daft humans_.

"Are you getting to a point anytime soon?" Kakashi asked, even though he was cogent of where this was heading.

"She's got no male, Kakashi. You don't need me to tell you what she thinks of you either. Unless you've forgotten how to be a man, I suggest that you act like one. Soon. Before another Sasuke comes up and steals her away," the pug finished, taking his leave without a glance back.

Kakashi must have truly reached rock bottom if Pakkun was willing to touch this subject. His ninken always stayed out of his affairs. It was an unvoiced rule. The pug had never said a word regarding this matter after all these years. Not one word – and Kakashi had drunk himself blind more times than he could count to guarantee the pug's intervention. The day Sakura had come to his house on her eighteenth birthday to chastise him for never showing up at her party had been the first. Her skin had been drenched in the taste of petrichor and cherry blossoms. Time had stilled, breath had abated in his lungs, heartbeat slowed in his chest. Kakashi had stared at her – eyes like dark spring, anger-flushed cheeks, crimson-touched lips – and had seen a _woman_. He had never been able to see her as anything else ever since.

Pakkun had forgone his silence now. Perhaps, the pug was right; perhaps, it was time.

"Thanks, old friend," Kakashi murmured into the empty space the ninken had previously occupied.

* * *

_A Week Later_

"Class dismissed. I will see you all in lab three after lunch," Sakura announced. She watched as her students shuffled out of their seats then turned to gather the scrolls she had used in today's lesson.

It had been a week since she had started teaching, but no one had dared make a move on Kakashi yet, for which she was grateful. A motion in her peripheral vision informed her that was about to change though. Two kunoichi were waiting by the door, whispering amongst themselves, stealing glances at Kakashi, no doubt awaiting the classroom to empty before they made their move. Sakura decided that Kakashi was an adult and he could handle the matter on his own if he found their attentions unwelcome. She gave them her back in semblance of privacy, and focused on the scrolls across her desk as a distraction.

It was a mistake. So absorbed she was in her determination to ignore the scene that was about to unfold, that Sakura couldn't tell when Kakashi had sneaked up on her – she could only _feel_ him. A flux of sensation, pressing, leaning into her back, arms on her desk, toned muscles, caging her, breath fanning against her neck, her cheekbone, too warm. It sent shivers crawling across her skin, teeth sinking into the flesh of her lips, and she stilled, dared not move a muscle.

"Kakashi –" His name spilled from her throat, thrummed amidst the quietude of the room, coated with something intimate, sensual, before she could stop herself.

Sakura flushed, fingers curling around the scrolls in her grip, crumbling the delicate papers. Torn between wrenching herself away and melting against his torso, she did neither.

"W-what do you think you're doing?" she croaked.

Lips moved against the beat of her pulse, teased the exposed skin, firm but soft and so hot, the fabric of his mask doing nothing to dampen the effect.

"Have lunch with me."

Deep, with the lure of restrained huskiness, his voice slid against her skin, heightened all sensations. It took a few seconds for his words to register in Sakura's mind.

"I'm sorry?" she breathed, uncertain she had heard him right.

Kakashi chuckled, low, rough, vibrations against her shoulder blades.

"Lunch," he repeated, close. It was too much, too soon.

Sakura closed her eyes, willed her heartbeat to slow down, but it was nigh impossible with his body plastered against hers.

"Can you, uh, move first?" she asked, or more like, begged.

"Sure."

His voice grew heavy, stroked all the places his lips touched, and Sakura doubted he would, even if his reply implied otherwise. She was right. The muscles in his arms bulged, tensed, after her request, riveting her gaze. Sakura licked her lips, watched in slow motion as one hand lifted from the desk, digits ghosting over her stomach, curving around her waist, to pull her even closer, tighter.

"That's _not_ what I –" she protested, the sound drowned by the softness of a moan, "meant…"

_This must stop – now!_

Sakura recalled what he had asked then. "Yes," she returned, hoping this would put an end to whatever _this_ was.

Again, she was wrong. Slow, almost methodical, were his motions, as he caressed her side, high and higher, dragging across her ribs, beneath her white coat. The sound of paper being ripped infiltrated her senses, finally broke through the lust-ridden cage he had trapped her in.

"Yes what?" he asked, as if he didn't know.

She bristled, but didn't try to disentangle herself from him, or if she did, her limbs refused to obey.

"Yes, I'll have lunch with you! Now, _please_ , move… _away_ ," she reiterated, knuckles clenching around the ruined scrolls, and he released her. Finally. Cool air wafted into the space between them, raising goose bumps all over. Sakura already missed the feel of him, the heat of his body.

"What was that?" Sakura asked when she found her voice, not daring to turn around. She was almost panting, writhing in need, features twisted in a mélange of pleasure. She refused to have him look at her just yet, unsure if she could bear the weight of his gaze, the pulsation of want laid bare before her eyes.

"Killing two birds with one stone," came his reply, startling her. "I'm tired of all the looks."

Her blood chilled once the words sank into her mind. She reeled back, a spasm of muscles and nerves, flustered but not from desire now, pinning him with incredulity.

"You used me as an excuse to escape your fangirls?" she hissed, dismissing what had just occurred between them.

It was the wrong thing to do, she realized, albeit too late.

"I wouldn't call it an excuse."

Kakashi advanced on her and, this time, Sakura could see him, see the change in his countenance. Gaze deluged with something less lucid, animal-like, pure and dark, he caged her again, palms biting into the edge of her desk, snaking between her elbows. His scent inundated her lungs, inflamed her blood. If she could smell him then she didn't want to think of how potent her own scent would be.

"Kakashi –" Sakura didn't know if she wanted to slap him or kiss him.

"I do want to have lunch with you."

The words were spoken mere inches from her lips, scorching the shivering flesh.

 _"_ You're _… _too close__ ," she gasped, losing all sense of equilibrium, "again!"

"Honesty…" A chuckle, throaty, hoarse, black cotton sliding over coral lips, a knee slipping between her thighs. "I love that."

"What's the matter with you?" Sakura finally found the strength to push him away, and he took a step back, removed his arms. _Love_ – he dared speak that word in whatever context in regards to her. Her mind went spiraling towards things she should never ponder if she wished to remain sane.

"You…this… _what_ do you want?" She struggled not to scream at him, though her voice faltered with the beginnings of panic.

"Lunch."

Sakura heard his laughter in that single word. It served to sober her up.

"Food, right." She gave Kakashi a curt nod, gathered her things in a hazy blur, and all but ran out of the classroom, sure he would follow. "Let's go then!"

* * *

Sakura had been fiddling with her food for almost twenty minutes. She hadn't exchanged a word with Kakashi upon entering the hospital's cafeteria besides placing their orders. A vision of flaxen hair and teal eyes came in then, and Sakura exhaled in relief. She could always count on Ino for meaningless, small talk. As she was about to wave at her to come sit down with them, Ino winked at her, and proceeded to join a table with what Sakura could tell were her students by the familiar greetings they shared.

 _Traitor!_ Sakura seethed, vowing to pay Ino back for this later. Her displeasure must have shown for Kakashi chose to speak at that moment.

"Not hungry?" he asked, aloof, _almost_ detached.

His casualness made Sakura wonder if she had fantasized the events in the classroom, but she couldn't have. For all she knew, it might not have meant anything to Kakashi, but Sakura was not fine with things as they were. Taking a deep breath, she broached the matter on her own.

"We need to talk about what happened back in the classroom," she spoke slowly, making sure she had his attention.

Kakashi leaned back against his chair, regarding her with an indecipherable expression.

"What do you think happened?" he asked without the merest hesitation.

Sakura's control snapped. She pinned him with a wrathful stare, fire slithering into the green of her eyes.

"What is this, Kakashi? I mean, I get that you might be annoyed by all the attention you're getting, but to imply that you're interested in me just to get them off your back is kind of pissing me off."

A flicker of emotion glimmered in his visible eye, but Sakura couldn't tell what it was. It fueled her anger to greater heights.

"What makes you angry, Sakura? That it could be an act or that I might be serious?"

His voice was careful, neutral when he replied, which made her want to strangle him as much as his words did. Sakura latched onto the last word he uttered lest she murder him on the spot.

"Are you serious?"

He shrugged, giving no other reaction.

"If you want me to."

Her palms slammed against the table, though Sakura had enough restraint to regulate her strength.

"You're driving me crazy," she spat. The urge to drag him outside and beat him to a pulp was overwhelming. She smothered her rage though, willed her violent tendencies down.

"And if I…if I wanted you to be serious?" she asked instead, fearing his answer. Sakura didn't know what she wanted to hear.

"I'd ask you out on a date."

Kakashi still gave her nothing. He was actually starting to remind her of Sasuke with his hot and cold behavior. Sakura groaned, hating herself for making the connection.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" she tried again, only for him to play the part of a total prick.

"Do you want me to?"

His mask stretched just a little, a flash of provocation, and she reckoned he was at least smirking at her now.

"I'm going to kill you."

"I'll take my chances."

Even if Sakura wished to remain angry, Kakashi made it damn near impossible.

"Yes." A tilt of her chin, and Sakura found herself nodding at him. "I'll go on a date with you _if_ you ask me."

Even if she was making a mistake, it was too late to take it back now. She needn't have worried, though. His response was as infuriating as ever.

"I'll pick you up at nine."

His gaze smiled at her, and before she even registered it, he was standing.

"That's not asking!" Sakura huffed, but he wasn't even there anymore.

_Hatake Kakashi…I'm going to kill you._


	7. Killing Me Softly

"Of all the days…" Ino grumbled, exasperated. "I'm telling you, he's doing this on purpose!"

This wasn't supposed to happen – not today. C had requested monthly reports on their progress, yet he had changed it to weekly reports all of a sudden. Sakura had politely agreed, even though her fists were shaking with the desire to punch the living daylights out of the Kumo shinobi.

"I don't care, Ino!" Sakura snapped, not wishing to take her anger out on Ino, but needing some let out. "Let's just finish this so we can go. The last thing I want is to stand up Kakashi the one time he decides to be on time!"

Ino nodded, sensing the violent currents brewing under Sakura's skin, and they resumed filling out their reports with charts and evaluations in tense silence until Sakura snapped again.

"It's almost eight thirty, Ino!" She glowered at the stack of papers before her, struggling not to destroy everything in sight. "It'll be a miracle if I have time for a shower…let alone anything else."

Ino smiled a weak smile at her. "Kakashi-sensei won't mind," she tried to assure her.

"But I do!"

"You shouldn't."

Both women turned to face the owner of the calm male voice.

"Kakashi –" Sakura mumbled, not expecting to see him for at least another half hour. "What…why are you –?"

A slow grin curved his lips beneath the barrier of his mask. "Bodyguard, remember?"

Sakura should have seen that coming. Exhaling a soft sigh, she hated what she was about to say, but was left with no other choice thanks to C's meddlesome interference.

"Look, I'm sorry. Can we, uh, take a rain check?"

"No."

"But –"

"Here's what we're going to do. Kiba and I will wait until you finish here – at your leisure – and we'll walk you back. Then you'll take a shower, put on some training clothes, and meet me at the lobby."

Sakura stared at him owlishly. "Training clothes…for our date?" she repeated, dumbstruck.

"Let's not call it that – unless your definition of one is trying to beat up your date."

Her lips quirked in a wry smirk. "It's not…but I'll make an exception for you."

"Glad to hear that."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh, thinking he really had a way of lightening her mood under any circumstances. Ignoring Ino's slight snickering, she refocused on her work with an eagerness not present before.

* * *

"Have fun!" Ino's grin implied more than mere fun.

Sakura threw her towel at Ino, but couldn't hide the smile that threatened to become her permanent expression since they had entered their room.

"It's not like that! He's just taking me out for some sparring," she huffed.

Ino rolled her eyes, clearly not buying the flimsy excuse. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

Sakura couldn't find an eristic response as she secretly hoped for the same thing Ino insinuated – even if she would never tell Ino that.

"What are you gonna do?" she asked instead, tying her boots.

Ino flushed for the merest moment, and Sakura was certain her friend had some devious plans of her own for the night. Ino's reply validated her theory.

"Oh I'll find something…" Ino twirled a stand of hair around her index finger, seemingly nonchalant, but Sakura wasn't fooled.

"Have fun!" she threw Ino's line back at her before she left.

* * *

Kakashi had been waiting for her, as promised. That was perfectly fine. What was not fine was the way he was dressed. Why he chose to don an attire similar to his old ANBU uniform, though bereft of metal armor and sword, was beyond Sakura, but she really wished he hadn't. Her eyes glued on his arms, denuded of fabric, inches and inches of lean, solid muscles, and the black shirt, indecently stretched over his torso, and refused to stray away. Kakashi had to, actually, clear his throat to motion for them to leave. The knowing, smug gleam in his eye revealed her perusal hadn't gone unnoticed either. Sakura wanted to smack him right then and there, but she figured she would have plenty of chances to do that later, so she refrained – with great effort.

"So –" She vied for his attention when they reached his destination. "Where are we?"

Her gaze took in their surroundings, slowly appraising the location. It bore an uncanny resemblance to the training grounds Kakashi had taken them back in her genin years for the bell test.

"Kumogakure's training grounds for genin," Kakashi answered, and it all made sense now.

Sakura turned to regard him with a challenging glimmer in the depths of her eyes. "I can go all out?" she asked, already guessing his reply.

Kakashi took a swift leap back, correctly interpreting the change in her posture, and wisely keeping his distance.

"Be my guest," was all he said. 

Sakura couldn't remember when was the last time she'd had this much fun during a sparring session. Granted, training with Tsunade had been a life threatening experience that no sane person could describe as 'fun', but the purpose of it had been learning, not recreation, so Sakura supposed it was only fair. Trying to predict Kakashi's attack patterns though, and striving to land a hit was a wholly different experience, one that Sakura relished. Her blood pumped in her veins a little faster, her lips curled upwards, whether she found her target or not, her muscles burned with a sweet, tightening sensation. But nothing could compare to the feeling that coursed through her frame when she finally managed to pin him down after half an hour of rigorous sparring. Exhilaration was too tame a word. It came close to ravishment.

Trapped in the seam of her thighs, Kakashi let Sakura have her moment. Her breath came out in soft puffs, her chest undulated with the scent of victory. She licked her lips, laughed, the sound husky, more tempting than it should be, gazed at him under the thickness of her lashes, and Kakashi thought she had never looked more beautiful than in that moment. It was then he noticed a flicker of something dark in her eyes; the green in her irises whelmed with surprise and hints of indignation, mouth forming a silent 'o'.

"You let me win!" she hissed, thin-lipped reproach.

Kakashi couldn't deny her accusation. He _had_ allowed her to win – not because she didn't have a chance of winning on her own, but because he had been distracted by that grin on her face, the way her body moved, tethered, controlled aggression, feminine curves and smooth muscles. If he had to be honest, Kakashi simply hadn't tried his best to avoid being in the situation he currently found himself in.

"Now why would I do that? It's not like I enjoy having you on top of me, all panting and sweating –"

"Oh shut up!" Sakura swatted his shoulder, but there was no force behind her hit. It was playful, slightly scolding, and she still grinned down at him, eyes twinkling with satisfaction, thighs clenching around his waist. She leaned forward then, planted her palms on the ground, on either side of his head. Tension thickened, pulsed. His hands rose to clasp her waist, glided lower, sank into the suppleness of her hips. She was so close now; Kakashi could see the flecks of silver in her eyes, trace the contours of her lips, full and soft, begging to be kissed, lick the perspiration off her skin – if she came a little closer, if she let him.

"Who's there?"

The foreign voice was like a bucket of cold water. Sakura straightened up in less than a second, with the grace of a feline, and Kakashi cursed the interruption, the loss of her heat. She focused towards the direction the voice had come, eyes like thin slits.

"I forgot to mention that I may or may have not asked for permission to use the training grounds," he uttered, without the barest trace of apology in his tone, content to lie there, beneath her.

Sakura reeled back after his confession, staring at him as if he had sprouted two heads.

"What!?"

It sounded more like a snake hiss with how she tried to keep her voice down but itched to scream at him at the same time. Kakashi had to bite his tongue not to chuckle, aware that it would incite her ire further.

"Have you any idea how many rules we're breaking right now?" she asked and, as he had predicted, she appeared more than a little bit pissed.

"Only if we get caught…" he hinted, fighting back the same chuckle.

Her eyes bulged in disbelief. "I can't believe you!"

She clicked her tongue, but had to concede defeat. The situation called for a stealthy retreat, if they wished to avoid a reprimand from the Raikage. Something told both of them that it would be a most unpleasant experience.

* * *

"Don't ever do that again!" Sakura repeated for the nth time while they walked towards their rooms, slightly fuming. Most of the excitement from their sparring session had ebbed after that unfavorable incident. She only hoped the Raikage wouldn't make the connection between the absurdly large holes in the training ground and her inhuman strength or the charred tree limbs and Kakashi's Raikiri.

Kakashi's voice, filled with amusement, broke through her wary musings. "You enjoyed it – admit it."

Sakura stole a glance at him from the corner of her eye. "What happened to 'those who break the rules are scum'?" she asked, indulging in light banter.

"I've been called worse," was his aggravating reply, donned in peals of laughter.

It was infectious. Sakura burst out in laughter as well.

"I should have punched you." She chuckled, shaking her fist at him, as they reached her room.

"Ah, Sakura –" he called then, placing an arm on her shoulder to physically stop her. His expression became guarded. If she squinted though, she could see he was struggling not to laugh again.

"Why don't you come to my room?" Kakashi proposed with such naturalness that Sakura missed the suggestion in his words for a fragment of a second.

"Hatake Kakashi, if you think –" she began, eyes hard and expression set in stone, but then a muffled sound, akin to a moan, came from behind the room's door.

"What was that?" she asked, taken aback, and forgetting the matter instantly.

Kakashi leveled her with a pointed, telling stare. "Why I said you shouldn't go in there."

"Oh, you meant…" Sakura blurted, understanding dawning on her. "But what about Kiba?"

He laughed then, deep, indulgent, seducing her ears. "Who do you think is in there?"

"Unbelievable!" she huffed.

Sakura should have accounted for this development when Ino implied she had plans, but she never would have guessed things would progress that far. Now she had to share a room with Kakashi, alone, for god knew how long. Sakura prayed for restraint because the man had never been more desirable than he was tonight.

* * *

Kakashi had taken a shower first after Sakura's urging. He had come out wearing a sleeveless, black shirt – mask attached as always – loose, grey pants, hair damp, and Sakura swore she had suffered a mini blackout. There was no other explanation for why she now found herself in his shower, holding an identical shirt, and wondering what the hell she was supposed to do with it. Probably wear it after taking a shower, an inner voice leered at her. Sakura decided to heed it.

By the time she finished her shower, dried her hair, and put on the shirt, Sakura had come to a firm resolution. If things with Kakashi were to progress in any direction at all then she needed to know that he trusted her. There had been a moment between them, in the training grounds, right before they had been interrupted, that Sakura was certain she was about to kiss him – and he would have let her. Kakashi would have even allowed her to rip that offensive mask to pieces in her fervent need to taste his lips if she had felt like it.

Sakura took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door, determined, even though her heart thumped out a wild rhythm against her ribcage. Kakashi lay on the bed, one leg bent, indulging in his favorite pastime – reading Jiraiya's very questionable novels. Sakura smothered a chuckle at the familiar sight, all tension leeching away. She knew this man, there was nothing to fear, no need to complicate things. There were no sounds but the soft tapping of her foot soles as she crossed the room towards him. Kakashi arched a brow at her, silently inquiring what she was up to, though Sakura could tell there was more beneath the surface than he allowed to show. She hadn't missed the heat of his gaze, the awakening of hunger, when she had made her entrance, wearing only a strip of fabric, legs bare up to mid-thigh, smooth, silky skin exposed.

A smile curved her lips, mellow, sweet, and she took the book from his hands, deposited it on the nightstand. The bed creaked as she pressed a knee against the mattress then wiggled to straddle his waist. Kakashi made no move to stop her, but she could see his surprise at the boldness of her actions. Sakura felt the muscles in his abdomen twitch, his lungs expand, watched the rise and fall of his Adam's apple before he spoke.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what are you doing, Sakura?"

Kakashi seemed uncertain, almost unwilling to touch her, even though she knew he wanted to.

"Picking up from where we left off in the training grounds."

He searched her eyes for something, half-lidded temptation, luring, drawing her into the darkness of his gaze – and he did touch her then, rough, warm hands smoothing across her calves, back and forth, in slow, lazy motions. Sakura took it as a sign that she, too, could touch him. She stroked the curves of his neck, felt the cords tauten, along the angles of his jaw, his cheekbones, thumb tracing his lower lip.

"May I?" she asked, no more than a murmur, when she reached the edge of his mask.

Kakashi gave tacit consent. Her fingers curled around the thin cotton, pulled it down with tentative movements, until it could go no further, coiled around the base of his neck. Sakura took her time savoring the exposed features, becoming acquainted with his bone structure.

"You're…handsome," she said at last.

Something in her voice, or perhaps her expression, must have betrayed her bafflement.

"I'm guessing this isn't what you expected."

The corners of his lips upturned in a half-smirk. Sakura could finally see what he looked like when he did that. It added to his attraction, was enough to make a woman melt without words exchanged, and she huffed. She didn't know why, but she felt a twinge of something unpleasant – she was glad that he actually wore a mask now.

"Well, not counting Naruto and his ridiculous theories, I figured you'd have an average face, you know…normal. I should have known Hatake Kakashi, prodigy, genius ninja and all that, couldn't possibly have average looks. No, you must be perfec-"

It wasn't his low chuckle that sealed her lips, but fingers twining in her hair to pull her down, firm, warm flesh against her mouth, teeth dragging, teasing her lips, and the slightest touch of tongue. Kakashi kissed her, long and deep, drenched her in his taste, his scent, until Sakura thought she would drown in him. He nibbled on her lips when she gasped for air, kissed the curve of her mouth, tongue laving the reddened flesh. His hand snaked up her calf, a languorous, leisure ascent; he massaged the back of her knee, stroked the inside of her thigh, burning, igniting a slow fire.

"I'm not wearing any underwear."

His lips stilled against hers, fingers sinking into her thigh, nails grazing the tender skin. Sakura had no idea what possessed her to reveal it in this moment, but she felt that she needed to say it.

A strangled sound spilled from his throat – a grunt and a groan – and Sakura imbibed its roughness, the need hidden within.

"You _are_ trying to kill me…"

"No, it's just, I meant…I don't know what I…"

Kakashi nipped at her jaw then, and Sakura smiled despite the awkwardness, took pause to gather her thoughts.

"What I'm trying to say is that I'm sitting on you, without underwear, and I'm not sure where this is going…"

Teeth bit into her lower lip on instinct, riveted his eyes. A sound vibrated in his chest, low, visceral. Sakura felt his grip around her thigh loosening, gentle, circling touches now.

"What do you want, Sakura?"

His voice was raw, swollen with wildness, the voice of a man who wanted a woman.

"I just…want to look at you?" she spoke softly, her words hushed, spilling over his lips. His lids descended, his breath seared her skin, but the shadow of lust was repressed when he opened his eyes again, shackled beneath restraint. Sakura took it as approval, wove her hands in his hair, felt the texture, not silky but not rough either. She hummed, dragged a fingertip across the slightly jagged scar marring his upper face.

"Does this hurt?" she asked, unsure. "I mean, medically speaking, scar tissue ca-"

"No, the scar itself doesn't hurt."

Sakura didn't need him to explain further to understand the meaning of his words.

"The memory does," she whispered, placing a kiss above his brow. Wetness laved the underside of her neck, one long, languish lick, and she felt him inhaling her scent deep into his lungs. She pressed another kiss on his temple, murmured in his ear.

"Let's sleep?"

Kakashi gave a short, dry laugh at that.

"Kinda hard with you on top of me – _without underwear_ …"

Laughter buzzed in her throat. Sakura let it out as she rose, shaking with gaiety. The way he looked at her, as if she was a gift he couldn't wait to unwrap, made her want to tease him all the more so.

"Oh shush, you'll survive!" she bit back, undaunted. Kakashi arced a brow as if to tell her _no I won't_ , and she exploded with laughter.

"Fine," she acceded. A mischievous smirk tugged on her lips.

"Any way you wanna do it then."

Sakura couldn't help but play with her wording. Kakashi gave her thigh a hard squeeze, punishment for inflicting this on him.

"That was on purpose," he rasped, overcome with frustration.

"Maybe."


	8. Shut up and Kiss Me

Sakura flexed her limbs in lazy motions, coming to wakefulness. There were lean muscles, entangled legs, slow heartbeats, the long-forgotten sensation of a man's warmth, and she curled around the body pressed against her, seeking more friction, to feel him on her skin. Sakura vaguely remembered falling asleep on Kakashi, but she couldn't care less at the moment. Naked skin rubbed against coarse fabric as her thigh slipped between his legs, her breasts flattened against his torso, and a noise of discomfort built in her throat. Why was he wearing clothes?

"If you keep this up, I won't be held accountable for my actions."

She registered a grunt, an arm tightening around her waist, fingers splaying wide, digging into her side, and Sakura's mind came fully awake. She ceased all movement save for lifting her lids and tilting her neck back to stare at him. Biting her lower lip, she smiled at him, self-conscious, bashful.

"Good morning," she murmured, breath fanning on his collarbone, still half-lying on top of him.

"Morning."

Sakura didn't know what prompted the action that followed this – the strained nuance of his voice, how his eyes shaded with a darker hue, the scent of desire, the muscles clenching beneath her – but heat erupted, wave after wave, laved her blood, and she moved against him, provoked a chain of reactions. Sakura found herself trapped between the mattress and the weight of his body, knees grazing against his ribs, hands clutching at his shoulders.

"Kakashi –"

It was supposed to be an admonishment, yet it came out too breathy, almost a moan, invitation. If he heard her, Kakashi gave no acknowledgement, nothing but lips gliding over the drumming pulse on her neck, teeth teasing the soft skin, hands clasping her hips, as if to stop the slow undulation of her pelvis. Sakura wasn't even aware that she was doing it until that moment, but she must have if he was forced to restrain her. The realization that she was the one who was provoking him, tempting him to act out on her reactions, lanced her mind, and she cursed herself for it. Her head rolled back on the pillow as she tried to control her responses, to calm down, exposing more of her neck in doing so. She felt a touch of wetness, warm, slick muscle, and her nails bit into his shoulders, her turn to tether him now.

"You smell so good."

The way he uttered this, low, tinged with roughness, how he nuzzled her neck, drenched himself in her scent, was unfair, and she considered kissing him just to spare herself the infection of his voice when a fist banged on the door, deafening in its insistence. They both stilled.

"Sakura!"

"Ino?" she blurted, sharing a confused glance with Kakashi, but Ino didn't give them time to reply.

"There's an emergency at the hospital!"

Sakura snapped to attention, throwing Kakashi off while trying to find her clothes.

"What? Go! I'll meet you there!" she shouted, rushing to the bathroom in search of her - now clean and dry - clothes. Kakashi cleared his throat when she had almost finished tying her boots, and she barely suppressed a chuckle as she saw him lying sprawled on the floor, having made no move to get up yet.

"I'm sorry…I need to go," she apologized, hiding a grin at his ruffled state. Sakura couldn't help but notice the attraction of the man, with his terrible bed-hair, chest rising and falling, clothes wrinkled, still worked up.

"I'll be there in a few," he finally ground out, notes of frustration in his tone, and she laughed, knelt to kiss his cheek before she left.

* * *

"Can you believe his rudeness? That Jōnin would have died had it not been for us…yet that asshole had the nerve to chastise us for overriding protocol," Ino ranted on C's adamancy regarding procedure as they discarded their bloodied scrubs and cleaned themselves up after the demanding surgery.

Sakura merely shrugged. "We did seize command of his ER without asking for permission, Ino."

Ino's expression bordered on disbelief at Sakura's monotone reply. "It was a life and death situation! Excuse me for not filling out the necessary forms first. Besides, _he_ was the one who called for our assistance," she insisted.

"I know, Ino," Sakura returned, calm, too tired to start a debate, and something in her voice must have alerted Ino to that fact.

"I'm sorry, you must be tired." Ino gave her a small smile in apology before she continued. "I sure as hell am! How about some breakfast? You haven't eaten anything yet, right?"

"Yeah, let's go. We still have lessons to give today." Sakura nodded, exhaling a long sigh.

A grimace distorted Ino's features into something less pretty. "Don't remind me…" she muttered.

* * *

"How was your date?" Ino asked the moment they sat down to eat.

Sakura knew it wouldn't be long before Ino asked that question, but she wasn't feeling like sharing at the moment.

"It wasn't a date," she shot back, almost mechanically, and Ino rolled her eyes.

"Whatever… Now spill!"

Deciding to indulge Ino's curiosity in hopes of shutting her up, Sakura started with the first, and most vexing, event.

"We trespassed into Kumo's training grounds and made a mess of the place. If the Raikage ever finds out, he'll have our heads…"

Ino stared at her as if she was seeing a ghost. "You did _what_?" she screeched, eliciting a few glances from nearby tables.

"Don't make me repeat myself. It's bad enough that we did it."

Sakura couldn't even find it in herself to tell Ino to lower her voice, but that changed when the blonde broke out in loud laughter, nearly bending in two.

"It's not that funny!" Sakura snapped, lips pursed.

"It's hilarious!" Ino bit between bouts of laughter, holding her stomach. "Haruno Sakura, straight A's student, obsessed with order and rules, did something wild."

Somehow, that fueled Sakura's irritation over the event even more. "I didn't know! Kakashi never told me!"

Ino was actually wiping tears from the corners of her eyes after laughing so much. "I wish I could have seen your face at the time."

Sakura pinned her with a venomous glare. "You would have if you weren't otherwise engaged," she returned, voice carrying acidic traces.

"Thanks to your 'plans', I was forced to share a room with Kakashi for the night," she huffed, and Ino straightened up, intrigued.

"And?" she prompted Sakura to continue, but she wasn't giving it up so easily after Ino's earlier display.

"And what?"

Ino's brows shot up in astonishment.

"Please don't tell me that nothing happened! After all the trouble I went through to –"

"You did this on purpose!?" Sakura hissed before Ino even finished her sentence.

Ino clicked her tongue, regretting her slip up.

"Calm down! Well, not on purpose, but yeah."

Sakura reeled back at Ino's confusing answer. "Wait, what? Which is it?" she demanded.

"I figured you'd come back early, and I wanted to give you some time alone, so I invited Kiba for drinks and cards in our room. I didn't think we'd end up…you know," Ino explained with awkward laughter, shoulders shrugging.

"Really?" Sakura's tone was almost too caustic. "You didn't think so?"

"Shut up, Forehead, or I'll describe how my night went with _great_ detail," Ino warned, her eyes shining with a dangerous light.

"You wouldn't dare…"

"Try me."

Ino's salacious smirk made Sakura surrender this battle of wills.

"So, are you gonna tell me what happened then?" Ino prodded her again.

"We talked then we slept," Sakura said in the most casual of tones, trying to mimic Neji's indifference.

Ino's hands slammed against the table, and Sakura barely had time to right their plates. "That's it? Gods, are you really a woman?" she asked, though having the decency to keep her voice down this time. Ino's voice welled with resignation, if Sakura strained her ears, but she chose to ignore this, crossing her arms and staring at Ino, undaunted.

"Well excuse me for not jumping his bones on our first not-date."

"I didn't say that." Ino shook her head, more tired than anything by now, trying a different approach. "You know what's your problem, Sakura? You spend too much time over-thinking things. Why can't you just _feel_ for once?"

Sakura scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, even though she had a faint idea of where Ino was going with this.

A heavy sigh spilled past Ino's lips as she stood to head for her class.

"It means I pity Kakashi-sensei."

* * *

Sakura had thought that having Kakashi in the classroom after what had transpired between them would make teaching an even more painstaking sufferance than usual. She was wrong. Unlike before, there was no tension coiling, festering in her abdomen, no sensitivity to the barest motion of his muscles, no struggling for breath each time she felt his eyes on her back. If she had to use a word for the feeling coursing through her now, it would be contentment. For once, Sakura relished the silence of his presence and the emotion of safety it evoked. Her pleasure at her discovery didn't last long, though. A tick formed under her eye when she saw two kunoichi finally approaching him with the intention of talking. Instead of minding her own business, as she had done before, Sakura stared at them, unabashed, oozing with displeasure, but they paid her no mind.

"Hatake-san, would you like to have lunch with us?" the bolder of the duo asked, a half-smirk playing on her lips.

Kakashi appeared to be smiling at them, though Sakura could tell from the rigidity of his posture that he wasn't.

"Thank you for the invitation, but I have plans with your sensei," he replied with the most aloof tone Sakura had ever heard from him.

Their faces fell after his response and they turned to leave, but not before staring at Sakura with what she could recognize as envy mixed with wonderment. Sakura chuckled to herself then turned to Kakashi, regarding him with an amalgam of mirth and seriousness.

"If those plans involve illegally entering Kumo's establishments, I'll have to decline, Kakashi."

He laughed, the sound natural, tempting, and her stern exterior melted just a little bit.

"They involve you, me, lunch, and the hospital's rooftop." He wiggled his brows upwards, making her lips twitch in amusement.

"Alright." Sakura nodded, taking the lead.

"I do believe there's a 'No Entrance' sign on the staircase, though," he commented after she exited the classroom as if the thought struck him just then.

Eyes wide, Sakura huffed, nudged his shoulder in reprimand, but couldn't smother the laughter bubbling in her throat.

"You're unbelievable!"

* * *

They had procured lunch from the hospital's cafeteria and were now eating in quiet companionship. Sakura was the first to break the silence, needing to establish some things. Kakashi hadn't spoken a word about what had occurred between them, but Sakura had gotten the message he had relayed to her students just the same. If he hadn't a problem with making his unavailability known to others then the least he could do was say it to her face instead of hinting at it.

"About last night…" she began, suddenly uncomfortable with the subject.

Kakashi gazed at her, a twinkle in his eye. "It was a terrible night," he stated, almost a sigh.

Sakura knew he was being his usual self, teasing her with a straight face, so she indulged him.

"Excuse me?" she returned with mock indignation, but the curving of her lips betrayed her.

"I had a half naked woman draped all over me – I nearly died…" Kakashi continued, unperturbed, as she fought down her laughter.

Sakura waved a hand in dismissal.

"You're being melodramatic."

Kakashi gave her a hard stare as if he was offended.

"Did I tell you she wasn't wearing _any underwear_?" he leaned in to whisper the last part in her ear, and she shoved him away, shaking with repressed laughter.

"Oh shut up!"

"But the morning was even worse." He sighed, shaking his head. "I finally managed to have her beneath –"

"Kakashi!"

"– me only for her to run away. One would think she bears a grudge against me."

Sakura couldn't decide if his utter bluntness was an endearing or an infuriating trait, but the truth was that she was enjoying herself.

"It was an emergency!"

His voice lost its carelessness when he spoke. "So you would have stayed otherwise?"

Sakura smirked, tempted to copy him and his penchant of answering questions with other questions, and she did.

"Would you have liked me to?" she asked with a sweet smile, batting her lashes, and struggling to play her role to the end.

His eye narrowed, alight with mischief, her only warning before his retort.

"There are many things I would have liked to d-"

Sakura was left with no other choice but to tackle him, resorting to physical restraints, not that he protested much. Kakashi made no motion to stop her – not when she straddled him, not when she pushed his mask down, not when she kissed him.

"You won't shut up unless I do this, will you?"

"Took you a while to figure it out."


	9. Time to Say Yes

Kakashi didn't have to rely on his superior sense of smell to infer that the person banging on his door was Sakura. There was such vehemence behind the loud, knocking sounds that it could be no one else. Opening his door, the first thing he registered was how beautiful she was in her anger – flushed skin and plump lips and gleaming fire in the green of her eyes. A slow grin curved his lips, and she flushed redder, all but shoved him to the side as she barged in.

"You're an ass!"

He closed the door, then leaned against the hard wood, lips twitching, less grin, more smirk now.

"I love it when a woman talks dirty."

"Oh shut up!" A rumble emerged from her throat, hands settling on her waist, eyes seething with silver sparks. "Why didn't you tell me?"

His neck tilted to the side, seemingly ignorant, though he knew very well what she was asking. "Tell you what?"

Tongue clicking in irritation, she threw her arms in the air, opted for utter bluntness. Sakura could tell he was as amused as she wasn't.

"I just walked in on Ino and Kiba doing the horizontal dance."

A chuckle spilled into the room, infuriating in its huskiness.

"You know, I don't make it a habit of monitoring my teammates' sexual activities."

She would have huffed at his sarcasm but all that came out of her mouth was a sigh.

"I went out for half an hour and came back to -" Brows creased into a fierce scowl, she all but spat the end of her sentence. "- _that_!"

His gaze simmered crimson and black, half-lidded intrigue, and she could see that teasing quirk returning on his lips.

"You wanna pay them back?"

She couldn't help but laugh, tension easing out of her in slow tides. Kakashi made it nigh impossible for her to stay angry at anything. Teeth sank into her lip, and she decided to tease him back a little.

"What I want is a _bath_ – preferably, a long, relaxing one."

His grin didn't lessen; in fact, it stretched wider. "Compromise?"

She arched a brow, but humored him anyway. "I'm listening."

Finally moving away from the door, he walked toward her in lazy strides, until he came to stand behind her. Shivers trailed down her spine when she felt hot lips near her ear, close but not close enough.

"You can take a shower here…" His voice regressed to a throaty rasp, warm breath gliding down her neck – then hands on her shoulders, rough and calloused, kneading and pressing with expert strokes. "And I can give you a massage."

"You don't give up, do you?"

She leaned back, seeking more of his warmth, his touch, more of _him_. Murmurs of pleasure fell from her lips as his hands traveled lower, over her shoulder blades, down the dips of her waist, to settle on her hips. Teeth nibbled on the shell of her ear, tongue licking the shallow bites, and his hands moved higher again, stroking the sides of her ribcage, the pads of his fingers barely grazing the swells of her breasts. A husky chuckle seeped into her skin, full of intrinsic urges, riding on the heat of the moment. It titillated her nerve endings, rubbed against sensitive tissue, slickened the pulse of desire between her thighs.

"You can always say no."

Her eyes snapped open, and she jerked away from the lure of his voice, his touch, before she lost her wits completely and took him down to the floor with her. Turning around, she stared up into his eyes, despite knowing what she would see – hot coals stared back, sizzling, hotter the more she kept his gaze. Sakura cleared her throat, felt her knees growing weak, her heart beating fast inside her chest, but didn't avert her gaze. She liked that look in his eyes, more than anything – she would _not_ say no. But that didn't mean she couldn't play a little before she gave in.

"Give me a shirt."

He blinked once at her request, taken aback. The lust fogging his eyes dispersed slightly, but still there, never leaching away completely. Then his lips curved in that insidious grin.

"It's laundry day. Unless you want the one I'm wear-" He made to take his shirt off, more daring than anything, and she laughed, swatted his shoulder as she passed him by to step into the bathroom.

"Don't you dare strip!"

His laughter followed her inside, deep, satisfied, and Sakura knew she had just given him the incentive he was waiting for.

She came out half an hour later, wrapped in a white towel, hair damp and curling down her back, not having bothered to dry off. Lain across the bed, reading his naughty book, one leg bent, he stared at her, part amused and part something else, smoldering.

"Let me guess…" His eyes lapped every inch of exposed skin, ignited need inside her veins, sultry blood. "No underwear?"

"I do wear them…" She licked her lips, took one step, and another, then crawled onto the bed, climbed up his body. Breaths mingling, lips brushing, skin against skin, she whispered with deliberate languor. "They're soaking wet, though."

Laughter vibrated inside his chest, slid against her nipples, and she hissed, half-moaned. Teeth grazed along the line of her jaw, reached the soft skin below her ear. His voice thrummed against her skin, laved the throbbing desire underneath.

"That was a low blow."

* * *

_Five months later_

Naruto stared at Kakashi, standing awkward and stiff before him in the Hokage's office. His lips were stretched into a smile, but his eyes held reservation.

"Glad you're back. You were sorely missed." Then his stare became narrow, piercing blue, too knowing. "I read your monthly reports, but is there anything you might wanna add?"

The Copy nin laughed nervously, his visible eye creased into a crescent, but Naruto spoke again before he could form an excuse.

"Something along the lines of breaking and entering into Kumo's training grounds?" More nervous laughter. "Or violating laws on public decency and quiet hours?"

Kakashi cleared his throat. His voice was almost nonchalant when he gave his reply.

"It's not as bad as it sounds…"

"Oh I think it is."

Naruto stood then, looking every inch the Hokage, nothing like the rambunctious kid Kakashi had met all those years ago.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Voice quiet, gaze serious. "Let's take a walk in the training grounds."

* * *

Sakura stared at Kakashi, green eyes taking in every single injury, baffled.

"What happened?"

His reply made her almost double in laughter.

"I got Naruto's blessing…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIN


End file.
